Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1887-04-30
IN A FLOOD.

fully poky everything is.n
eyes," responded, gazing from
the window at the dripping elms.
ethere'll be a general inundation il
this keeps on"
"Oh, wish there would!m cried
Eva, clapping her hands. "What
fun it would be to go sailing 8
TN little bark canoe.'
over the garden, and round the
summer house, and up to see Dolly
Maxwell! I do wish there would"
sDon't say that, Eva
We turned, Eva and | together,
away from the window toward the
fire, Which the raw March weather
rendered very pleasant. We had
quite forgotten the presence of
Aunt Lacy, who sat there gazing
so thonghtfully into the dancing
blaze. How fond and proud we
we're of her-of our gracious, state
" grand aunt, with her soft, white
hands, and her dear, beautiful,
wrinkled face!
We each drew chair up beside
her.
"Now, Aunt Lacy" said Eva, al
saw a story in your eyes"
"Well. yes. my dears." was the
Quiet rejoinder, ssthere is little
story which your chatter brought
to my mind. It's not, perhaps, of
the thrilling adventure descrip-
ton, but it may please you now
that you are tired Of your books"
GAS you ever told story that
didn't please us!" cried Eva, with a
little. bird like>caress of Aunt La
cy's hand. "Yon're a perpetual re.
serve fund, Auntie, TO be drawn on
when nothing else can please u.s."
"Flatterer!" smiled Aunt Lacy,
shaking her head. "But I'll tell
you the story.
sit happened when was eight
cen years old, and livell in Emb-
den. Yau have been at Ernbden,
MarciaY"
eyes," I answered; "that pretty
village so shaded by trees that /
wonder they didn't callzit Elmden.
1t is at the foot of a mountain, isn't
it,"
.Yes-Bear Mountain; and a
little river runs between it and the
village. We lived in large White
house almost on the river bank and
half a mile from the main portion
of the village. L kept house for
father-your great-grandtather-
then. 1t was in March-tlc spring
following mothers death in the
fall. There were four children at
home besides myself. Willie, the
Youngest, was but five days old
when mother died; and you may
hc!ieve that, with only an inexper-
fenced girl to help about the house
work. they kept me pretty busy.
81 had a lover in those days, an
honest, straightforward, but eX
ceedingly hot headed young mall,
with whom ], as high-strung as
himself, quarreled whenever an
opportunity offered. Strange,
young people will be so perverse!"
Grand aunt Lacy looked at Eva
with a little meaning smile, which
Eva understood and and answered
with a blush.
ave fell into a dispute one day
concerning the date of some occur
rence-a trifling thing, to be sure,
but neither would yield to the 9TH
er, and at length what had begun
good naturally enough ended in
tue most serious quarrel we had
ever had.
"I don't care if l never see you
again!' cried I. angrily.
"vefy WE'LL" he rejoined, taking
his hat, you need not
"But be came to the house the
very next afternoon.
81 have told you twas March,
Father had been away for a week
attending court at the shire town,
and was left alone with Cassie,
our help, and the children. The
rain had been falling almost inces-
sanity for three or four days, and
this, together with the melting
SHOWS on the sides Of old Bear
Mountain and the adjacent high
lands, had swollen our usually pla-
cid little river into rolling, tur-
bulent torrent, already more than
bank high, and running over the
lntervale below the house. / did
not teel any real alarm, however, as
| lad often seen the intervale COW
cred when the river was up, in tue
spring.
1T was late in the afternoon
when Herbert came. I met him
with a cool assumption of dignity,
which he did not appear to notice.
"sYou had better take the child
rem up to mothers for the nighttime
said, hurriedly; 'the river is high
and rising fast, land the Ice is break
ing up in tile lake.
"'No, thank you,' 1 replied, 4 am
sure there is no danger
"'But fthe Ice goes out, as it
certainly will it will take the mill
dam and possibly the mill, was the
persistent rejoinder; 'and ifthe dam
goes, this house will be fooded,and
may be carried off,
".May hees don't fly in March,
said /, sauclly. sPlease do not try
to scare u.s.
"But Cassie, already thoroughly